When: June 1, 2023 from 9:00 am-12:00 pm EST (15 min break)
Where: Virtual  (MARAC Zoom)
Instructors: Ryan Koons, Maryland State Arts Council and Laurainne Ojo-Ohikuare, UMBC Special Collections
Cost: $50.00

This workshop introduces participants to folklife archival collections, sometimes also called ethnographic collections.  Ryan Koons (Maryland State Arts Council) and Laurainne Ojo-Ohikuare (UMBC Special Collections) take the Maryland Traditions Archives (MTA) as their case study. Opened to the public in 2013, this folklife archive contains fieldwork, administrative materials, and collections donated by tradition bearers, circa 1940s - present. Koons and Ojo-Ohikuare will review the history of the MTA, and the role of folklore and other disciplines in the creation of this and other folklore archival collections. They will discuss the importance of community involvement and outreach, and recommend ways other repositories can improve equitable collections management, notably through the shared stewardship model. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the value of folklore collections, ways to deepen community engagement, and the ethics that vitally underpin folklore collections.

About the Instructors: 
Ryan Koons has served as Folklife Specialist for Maryland Traditions, the folk/traditional arts program of the Maryland State Arts Council, since 2020.  In this position, he directs the Folklife Apprenticeship and Heritage Award programs, curates media, and has oversight of the Maryland Traditions Archives housed at UMBC.  In developing the vision of the Archives, he promotes a “shared stewardship” model, in which the traditional artists and cultural workers represented within the collections share authority for the archival materials.  He received a doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a Certified Archivist and member of several professional societies, including the American Folklore Society, Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, and Society of American Archivists.

Laurainne Ojo-Ohikuare is the Processing Archivist for the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, where she arranges and describes the photographic and manuscript collections.  Before UMBC, she was the Athletics Archivist for University of Maryland, College Park and processed collections for the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).  She received her bachelor's degree from Muhlenberg College in English Literature and Computer Science, a M.S in Information and Library Science and M.A. in Irish Literature from New York University's dual degree program with Long Island University.  She has published on archival processing strategies and is a member of the Society of American Archivist and American Library Association.

Register online at Folklife Collections Workshop June 2023